Brandonite benefits from curling’s new birthright rule

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This article was published 01/03/2020 (2333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KINGSTON, Ont. — Sheldon Wettig could easily be the poster boy for Curling Canada’s new birthright rule.

The 39-year-old Boissevain teacher is raising a family in Brandon but was born in Iqaluit, the capital of the northern territory of Nunavut. While he’s spent the last 20 years working in several Manitoba communities, that vital piece of information on his birth certificate opened a door he’d assumed was bolted shut.

That and the fact the guy — a self-proclaimed “northerner through and through” — can make shots.

Wettig is competing in his first-ever Brier national men’s curling championship in Kingston, Ont., this week as the alternate for Nunavut, skipped by Jake Higgs. And he’s entirely eligible. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, players can use birthright status to compete for the province or territory where they were born, even after moving away to another part of Canada.

Routinely, the fifth player at national championships such as the Brier or Scotties Tournament of Hearts does more watching than throwing, however, Wettig played in Saturday’s evening draw and will likely get another four games on the Nunavut front end before the round-robin wraps up Wednesday.

Marching out for the opening ceremonies at Leon’s Centre was a moment in time he’ll cherish forever.

“Amazing. To have 5,000 people cheer is incredible. There is no other sport with the bagpipes. That’s the symbol of curling. And knowing at that moment you’re amongst the best. I’ve played in nationals before — between juniors and university and club nationals, this is my 10th — but I’ve never played in front of a crowd like this,” said Wettig. “I’ve been lucky to play with some amazing curlers and do some incredible things in this sport, but nothing comes close to this experience.”

Nunavut dropped a 9-4 decision to Prince Edward Island in the opener and then fell 9-4 to one of the favourites, Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher, Sunday morning without Wettig in the lineup. But he was called on by Higgs during a pair of timeouts to discuss strategy.

Wettig’s parents moved the family from Iqaluit to Yellowknife, N.W.T., when he was only 11 months old, and he grew up there before relocating to Brandon for university.

He played in a pair of Canadian junior championships, representing Northwest Territories, in his teens, and won a gold medal at the 2003 Winter Universiade in Tarvisio, Italy, while keeping some heady company — teammates Mike McEwen, Denni Neufeld, Nolan Thiessen and Marc Kennedy.

Wettig has focused on his family and career, making a life in Brandon with his wife, Kara, and their three sons. He’s played in the Westman Super League for several seasons, but curling quickly became secondary to his role as a busy hockey dad to Bryson, 8, Cayden, 6, and Jaxon, 4.

A long, enduring friendship with McEwen led to a remarkable opportunity to jump-start his competitive curling career.

“I’ll give him full credit. He was out in Brandon and we met for lunch and I simply asked him the question, ‘How does this birthright status affect you guys on the tour?’ He said it doesn’t affect them a ton. But then he turned it around on me and said, ‘Well, weren’t you born in Iqaluit?’,” explained Wettig Sunday.

“I didn’t actually know what my birthright status would be, because when I was born there it was called Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories.”

The town name officially changed to Iqaluit in 1987, and the country’s largest territory officially split off in 1999. Nunavut was included in the Brier in 2016.

On the advice of McEwen’s family, Curling Canada passed on Wettig’s name to the Iqaluit curling community, and it didn’t take long for Brady St. Louis — son of former Nunavut champion David St. Louis — to do a recruiting sell job.

“I thought my days of competitive play were past me. But in September I got the call… they asked if I’d be interested in coming up for the playdowns. I took a few days to think about it, largely because of cost, and figured it was a chance I couldn’t give up,” said Wettig, who was part of the ice crew at the 2019 Brier in Brandon.

He made the long trip to Iqaluit in December, visited the home he lived in as an infant, experienced early-afternoon sunsets and marvelled at the beauty of the rocky, treeless terrain. But he did not return with a Purple Heart, symbolizing an Brier berth.

“I went up there and played well but didn’t adjust to the ice. We didn’t get the result we wanted. Jake won in the final, so once again I thought things were all done,” he said.

Not so fast. In early February, he received a call from a number he didn’t recognize, and when he answered it was Higgs on the other end. His services were in demand once again.

“It’s all a bit surreal. I was always proud to say I was born in Iqaluit, and not a ton of people can claim that. It was always a bucket-list item of getting back up and seeing where I was born, and I got to do that. But now playing in the Brier, with this jersey? Incredible,” Wettig said. “We’re realistic. We know we’re not here to win the Brier. Our goal is to show that Nunavut belongs, that we’re not an easy win, that we are going to make some shots and that we’re going to get better every year.”

Wettig’s two brothers are here to cheer him on, and he’s received dozens of congratulatory and inspirational messages from students, parents and friends in southwestern Manitoba. He’s also got another big fan at the Brier, McEwen, the skip of Team Wild Card, who’s absolutely thrilled for his long-time buddy.

“He thanked me for providing that little nudge. I was like, ‘Hey, you should do it. When are you going to have this opportunity?’ He loves the game,” said McEwen. “I’m so pumped he’s experiencing this.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell